AC Hotel By Marriott At 723 Main St.

[UtterlyUrban]

So, I guess that the developer is wanting to keep this facade?  Too bad.

[Subdude]

I understand that given the alteration of the new facade it would be difficult to restore the original, but it seems a bit much to call the existing facade "landmark".

[Nate99]

I don't think it looks too bad as is, but have no idea what would of could make it a landmark.  The cladding has a certain style that seems to be from the early 60's or so, but if you had asked me before I read the thread, I would have presumed it to be original.

 

Do they get a tax abatement if it is "preservation"?

Edited July 31, 2017 by Nate99

[Urbannizer]

Details on the proposed changes.

 

http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/Commissions/docs_pdfs/hahc/App_Materials_2017/August_MATERIALS/723_Main_Alt_Windows_APP_Materials.pdf

[Urbannizer]

Construction permits submitted for construction to begin before the new year.

 

http://www.downtowntirz.com/downtownhouston/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/170928-Authority-Minutes-SIGNED.pdf

[HNathoo]

9 hours ago, Urbannizer said:

Construction permits submitted for construction to begin before the new year.

 

http://www.downtowntirz.com/downtownhouston/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/170928-Authority-Minutes-SIGNED.pdf

It looks like they have a location picked for the South Downtown Park, as they are already conducting environmental work.

 

Does anyone know where this is located?

[H-Town Man]

10 hours ago, HNathoo said:

It looks like they have a location picked for the South Downtown Park, as they are already conducting environmental work.

 

Does anyone know where this is located?

 

Great catch.

 

[urbanize713]

They are now building barricades and scaffolding around this building.  

[j_cuevas713]

In 5 years Houston is going to look so different with all the great development happening in every neighborhood. This is awesome!!!

[hindesky]

[Urbannizer]

http://www.arch-con.com/division/ac-hotel-marriott/

 

 

 

 

 

 

[UtterlyUrban]

I like these renderings a lot.  

 

Thanks for finding and posting!

[j_cuevas713]

Urb is on a whole other level with finding renders lol geez

[Avossos]

Knowing what the building ORIGINALLY looked like - it is hard to see this outside of that mindset. However, cleaned up / nice lighting / nice reno will be a huuge improvement.

[UtterlyUrban]

This sounds really great!

 

i think that I will book a room there one night after they open.  I like furniture that floats.  Of course, this being Houston, they may have chosen other words.

[htownbro]

46 minutes ago, CrockpotandGravel said:

Are there any interior renderings for this?

pg. 3

[mattyt36]

For those who have not stayed at an AC Hotel, they offer a really nice product. Much more my style than the Aloft (recognizing that’s personal opinion).

[lockmat]

On 2/14/2018 at 8:35 AM, CrockpotandGravel said:

Construction has begun on the AC Marriott in downtown Houston.

From a press release:
 

NewcrestImage has begun transforming a 104-year-old building in downtown Houston into a 195-room, 10-floor AC Hotel by Marriott, with Houston-based Arch-Con Construction serving as general contractor.  Opening is expected during the summer of 2019.   

The property, located at 723 Main Street, will feature a large fitness center; business center; cocktail lounge; and dining area, which will be integrated with the Zoe Theatre, originally opened in 1914 as a silent movie theatre on the building’s ground floor.  There will also be approximately 4,000 square feet of meeting and ballroom space with the latest technology for large screen presentations and interactive video calls.

“We are creating bold, modern grandeur in the heart of the city’s business district, while respecting the rich historic pedigree of this building,” explained Mehul Patel, Chairman and CEO of NewcrestImage.  “Our hotel will symbolize everything the AC brand stands for – vibrant artwork, upscale furnishings, and the latest high-tech amenities all coming together to give guests an elegant, contemporary experience in an urban location.”   

The AC Hotel’s customized interior design and furnishings will reflect minimalistic European-style such as guest rooms with “floating” furniture and public space featuring wood and stone finishes accented by chrome.  Local commissioned artwork throughout the property will complete the sophisticated signature look.     
 

http://www.hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/newcrestimage-begins-construction-of-adaptive-reuse-property-in-downtown-ho

 

 

Kinda funny they’re marketing this as a historic building.

[j_cuevas713]

On 8/9/2018 at 9:15 PM, lockmat said:

 

Kinda funny they’re marketing this as a historic building.

There are prob a lot of historical elements behind that facade. Idk

[downtownian]

48 minutes ago, j_cuevas713 said:

There are prob a lot of historical elements behind that facade. Idk

 

Controversially, the facade itself is considered historical (Stephen Fox is very opposed to this idea).

 

Yet, unlike some of the historic structures nearby, the original facade of 723 Main will remain hidden beneath cladding that was placed over it 50 years ago.

 

Franks said his group met with officials from the Texas Historical Commission who suggested the developer restore the building not to what it was in 1914, but to its 1966 vintage.

 

When the facade was put up 50 years ago, Franks said, many of the architectural features were compromised.

 

"In order to put the facade up, they had to bastardize the building, really shave off all the beautiful features," Franks said. "So when you take that skin off, you end up with black mastic over stone with no features, no cornices, no anything. The historic commission didn't want to do that."

 

According to the commission, which provides standards and guidelines for the treatment of historic structures, properties must meet certain requirements to be considered historic. One of those is being 50 years old.

 

"We're going to be one of the first buildings in the state of Texas to do a 1960s historical renovation," Franks said.

 

'Twisted logic'

 

Frustrated by the commission's stance, architectural historian Stephen Fox called the 50-year rule "twisted logic to preserve a mediocre exterior."

 

"It's a kind of fundamentalism among preservationists to stick to the rules and ignore the consequences," he said.

 

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Downtown-s-Main-Street-to-see-more-upscale-changes-8214081.php

 

[Nate99]

De gustibus non est disputandum. Unless you're talking preservation of old buildings, we have very odd rules, or not, for that. 

Edited August 20, 2018 by Nate99

[Texasota]

I really think they must have felt burned by what happened to the Carter Building. (J.W. Marriott) 

That building also had some of its original facade underneath the modernist slipcover, but, rather than maintain what was still there and add new materials where necessary, the developer removed *everything* and went back with *shudder* EIFS with bricks drawn on above the second floor.

[Nate99]

1 hour ago, Texasota said:

I really think they must have felt burned by what happened to the Carter Building. (J.W. Marriott) 

That building also had some of its original facade underneath the modernist slipcover, but, rather than maintain what was still there and add new materials where necessary, the developer removed *everything* and went back with *shudder* EIFS with bricks drawn on above the second floor.

 

I doubt we'll ever get the full story, but it looked like the mastic over the original brick on the J.W. might have precluded anything other than a complete re-bricking if they wanted to stay original. The parts that they stripped down to bare brick looked like hell. 

 

They took a long time with the façade partially stripped off, and maybe it was a cheapskate call at the end of the day, but it did look like they considered rehabbing it. 

[Texasota]

Don't forget they got various tax incentives for that project, and those were based on more than just "considering" rehabbing it.

[Nate99]

1 hour ago, Texasota said:

Don't forget they got various tax incentives for that project, and those were based on more than just "considering" rehabbing it.

 

True, though clearly there was no ironclad quid pro quo within those incentives to have a real brick exterior, or at least no will to enforce it. 

[mollusk]

Brick is porous, and black mastic will certainly stain it.  Having it on there for several decades certainly didn't help, either.  Shoot, it's hard enough getting paint off of brick.

[urbanize713]

Do we have any more or updated renderings for this? There is now extensive work being done on the ground floor. 

[Urbannizer]

 

[H-Town Man]

1 hour ago, Urbannizer said:

 

 

So wait. The original plaster ceiling was still intact and they sprayed it over with something called Sonakrete to make it look modern?

 

[Specwriter]

On ‎2019‎-‎03‎-‎07 at 2:52 PM, H-Town Man said:

 

So wait. The original plaster ceiling was still intact and they sprayed it over with something called Sonakrete to make it look modern?

 

Sonokrete is an acoustical finish. It should not change the look of the original plaster ceiling but hopefully attenuate the reflected sound in the space. Vaulted, and especially domed, ceilings can do some wonderful acoustic "tricks" like reflecting a quite conversation to the opposite of the room.